Earrings

The earring is a piece of jewelry to be worn on many parts of one's ears. Historically, ear piercing is known to be the oldest type of body modification and has dated back thousands of years to ancient Persia. Historic African tribes have also used earrings and the stretching of earlobes as a way to distinguish one's superiority or tribe identification. In history, sailors have been known to wear earrings as a way to show that they have crossed the equator, or even sailed across the world. Many believed that sailors wore gold earrings so that they could be used as a way to pay for a funeral if they were to die at sea. In the 1970's and 1980's ear piercing become increasingly trendy among popular culture.

There are a number of different types of earrings, and while originally earrings were used primarily on the earlobe, more modern earring jewelry has been created to adorn all parts of the ear. There are earrings that can be worn by those with pierced ears, as well as by those who do not have pierced ears. Types of non-pierced earrings include clip on earrings, stick on earrings, magnetic earrings, spring hoop earrings, ear hook earrings, and ear screws. The majority of earrings are non-permanent and can be changed at will, however historically, there have also been permanent earrings that were used to mark someone's ownership in terms of slavery.

In more recent times, the traditions around ear piercing have become more eccentric and the types of piercings and piercing locations have changed. Earrings are now made to adorn many different parts of the body, not only the ear. Many people within the younger and more recent generations will wear earrings on their ear cartilage as well as eyebrows, lips, and belly buttons.